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St. Louis Park Seeking a Second Title in 2007
After second and third place finishes in consecutive years in the Class A State Tournament, St. Louis Park is looking to add a Championship. The task will be harder with the loss of staff ace Mike Wilfahrt who is going to play with Miesville Mudhens. However, with the addition of Shane Wright from the Twin City Saints that spot should be filled. Returning left-handers Neil Koepcke, Bryan Edstrom, and Pete Fuller as well as having Jon Knez back in the mix, the rotation looks to be the very best in the state. The bullpen will be anchored by Rian Heaslip and steadied by veteran Keelan Conley. Additionally, Scott Miller and Jesse Eikum are hoping to make a return to pitching after a year off each recovering from arm injuries. Also, the TJ Nelson and Kris Edwards may be around for the summer depending on collegiate opportunities. Former ace Gabe Eikum could also be seen in a Park uniform this summer.The offense will be extremely tough once again with no easy outs no matter the line-up. Ryan Benson should return as the teams lead-off hitter. Ryan had a spectacular second half of the year and the team looks to build off his leadership. Chris Duda had one of the best seasons a Park player has ever had, and team has high hopes for him in 2007 as well. The third outfield spot will be a battle between Bobby Dennis and Mike Benson, each of who could brag was our best hitter at times last year. Catching will be handled by Chris Johnson and Ryan Lindstrom, both who offer offensive and defensive excellence. The corner positions will be battled for, Matt Paulsen and Casey Garven should make the third base position a strength. Garven will also battle Dave Lindstrom and Jason Mihalakis for a right to play short-stop. Pat Fix as usual will look to secure second base, but will be challenged by both Lindstrom and incoming defensive standout Luis Versalles. Fix arguably had the best six weeks of his career last year to finish the season. Matt Moriarty should have a lock on first base, but could share time with Mike Reeder if he's able to play this season. The designated hitter role could be filled by any of the hitters, but Scott Miller or Mihalakis if available are the likely candidates. What the line-up needs on a given day will play a big part of this spot in the line-up. The biggest dilemmas will be who is healthy and who is in attendance. Last season ending injuries to Garven and Dennis hurt the team significantly, as did understandable workplace commitments by Miller and Mihalakis. In any event, it should be an exciting and competitive year!!!
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